Friday, December 6, 2013

Tsumani


A soon-to-be-published poem by our own Candie



Tsumani

By: Candace Henshaw-Osias

Dharma Name: Awareness Path of the Heart


STRONG emotions

old patterns emerge

hurtful words are spoken

old friends appear

FEAR, ANXIETY, PAIN arise

Tears, sobbing tears, racking my body

A Tsumani

I walk the long stairway

Close the door

My cushion and Buddha await me

like an old friend

embracing me, telling me all will be well

Impermanence

Sitting, breathing, crying

breath after breath after breath

relaxation appears

Tears subside,

Emotions calm

Holding my old friends

I look at the causes, the conditions, the patterns

Embracing the suffering, I smile

Insight appears

The storm has calmed

The emotions quelled

Yet they still float in the receding tide

Awaiting to return to the shore

Maybe during the next high tide

Without destruction there is no renewal

Without suffering there is no joy.

Without Tsunamis there is no calm

This is the black and white

The Ying and Yang

The balance of mother nature

My tears have transformed into clouds

My suffering into joy

Transformed, preserved and fleeting

Peace is obtained the way has been shown

Now I must choose

I arise - renewed.

Winter Retreat


Follow the winter retreat -

If you want to follow the winter retreat...see http://www.youtube.com/user/plumvillageonline?feature=watch
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT9Ez-Emtgg&feature=c4-overview&list=UUcv7KJIAsiddB2YRegvrF7g

 

 

 

GRATEFUL: A Love Song to the World


Musicians Nimo Patel and Daniel Nahmod brought together dozens of people from around the world to create this beautiful, heart-opening melody. Inspired by the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge, the song is a celebration of our spirit and all that is a blessing in life. For the 21 Days, over 11,000 participants from 118 countries learned that “gratefulness” is a habit cultivated consciously and a muscle built over time. As a famous Roman, Cicero, once said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” This soul-stirring music video, created within a week by a team of volunteers, shines the light on all the small things that make up the beautiful fabric of our lives.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Climate Change

Renewal

Mindfulness: Youth Voices





Dear Friends,
I am delighted to announce that the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre (Vancouver, BC, Canada) has published the video, “Mindfulness: Youth Voices.”
“Mindfulness: Youth Voices” is a three-minute short film directly geared to youth, to address questions such as, “What is mindfulness?  Why would I be interested in it?”  The highlight of the film is the youth sharing, in their own words, how mindfulness practice has changed their lives.  The video can be viewed for free on the Kelty website, and I encourage you all to share it with the youth that you work with.
Special thank you to Michelle Horn and Hing Tse at the Kelty Centre -- and most of all, to the youth who shared their wisdom and experience with us!& nbsp;
Warmly,
Dzung
_________________________________________________
Dzung X. Vo, MD, FAAP
Assistant Clinica l Professor, Adolescent Health and Medicine
Director, Adolescent Medicine Fellowship Program
BC Children's Hospital | University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Thich Nhat Hanh at Blue Cliff Monastery